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Book Review: Caramel and Magnolias by Tess Thompson
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Caramel and Magnolias by Tess Thompson

I received a copy of Caramel and Magnolias by Tess Thompson in exchange for an honest review. What a thrilling, keep you on the edge of your seat book! I thought the prologue really opened the story, and I enjoyed that it wasn’t until a few chapters in that I made the connection between the beginning and the rest of the content. Cleo Tanner is the main character, a woman suffering a broken heart for the past ten years, who gave up her acting dreams and now is a teacher in Seattle. Her best friend, Sylvia, is having troubles in her marriage that seem to stem from the fact that she cannot get pregnant. When Cleo is approached by an adoption agency owner, she thinks she might have figured out a way to help her friend. But when a detective starts questioning the adoption agency, Cleo wonders if she didn’t make a huge mistake. She jumps into the investigation to try to get some answers and protect Sylvia – and also help herself get over her past and be able to move on.
This is such an amazing read. There is heartbreak, romance, deception, murder, mystery – all entwined around an engaging cast of characters. I really enjoyed the friendship between Cleo and Sylvia, as it reminded me of some of my friendships, and how a friend’s happiness can be worth taking a risk. I didn’t want to put this book down, but I found myself dragging out the ending because I didn’t want the story to stop! I have also read Riversong from Thompson and highly recommend you check out both of her titles!
5 stars

February 6, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: SkinnyTinis by Teresa Marie Howes
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: SkinnyTinis by Teresa Marie Howes

Teresa Marie Howes is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Skinnytinis. Yes, I enjoy myself a cocktail every now and again. This tour came at a great time for me, as I am getting married in September and stepping up my workout game and trying to watch my diet carefully. I am attempting to cut waaay back on soda, and one area that I was a bit concerned was what to drink at the bar. I typically drink soda with my liquor, so I eagerly dove into this book for some more ideas. And I needn’t be worried – this is full of great drink ideas, tips, and insight. While there are over 70 recipe ideas for drinks, this is more than just a recipe book. Teresa includes insight on what liquors are higher in calories and even which garnishes can be high in calories! She includes workout tips as well, and this is really an all-around go-to book that I think you need to have. I printed off several recipes and have them sitting in my alcohol cabinet for when I need an idea or want to check a calorie intake. I loved it!
5 stars

February 6, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Next Year I’ll be Perfect by Laura Kilmartin
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Next Year I’ll be …

Laura Kilmartin is on tour now with CLP Blog Tours and Next Year I’ll be Perfect. This novel is a breath of fresh, realistic, and sometimes harsh air. Sarah is feeling good about her life – until her 29th birthday and the discovery of the list. The list is something Sarah wrote at 25, outlining all the goals and expectations she expected herself to achieve by thirty. Now that the deadline is 365 days away and counting, Sarah is feeling the pressure to check things off her list – including buying a home and becoming partner at a firm. But will Sarah realize that goals can shift over the years, or will trying to check off items be Sarah’s only key to happiness?
I had such a fabulous time reading Next Year I’ll be Perfect. As a list-maker myself, I understood Sarah’s drive to be able to cross those items off her list. And she really wanted to be happier, and she thought by completing the list she would be. Her journey throughout the year was at times hilarious, at times sad, but always very realistic. There are stop-and-go romances, a best friend that will always dish it to her straight, and the story flowed with ease. This was also quite the page-turner, as I was curious up until to the end to see how Sarah’s journey would come to a close. One for your to-read list!
5 stars

February 5, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Love at 11 by Mari Mancusi
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Love at 11 by Mari Mancusi

Mari Mancusi is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Love at 11. This story follows Maddy, a producer for the local News 9 in San Diego. While she had high hopes for obtaining a position at Newsline, she hasn’t gotten any further than producing fluff pieces that either no one cares about or is dangerously close to not being factual. When she manages to snag a promotion and land a super-hot camera guy all in one fell swoop, Maddy wonders if her luck might turn around. But the promotion comes with an arrogant anchor, no better stories, and her hot camera guy Jamie turns out to be engaged – to a gorgeous model/actress living in LA. With her parents getting a divorce and her wild-child younger sister moving in with her, Maddy is wondering if she can keep it all together. When the chance for an exclusive exposé gets thrown into her lap, Maddy tries to get her priorities straight once again – but can she have it all?
Love at 11 is a fabulous look into a newsroom and the chaos and characters that come with. This story is very modern, fast-paced, and so realistic. Maddy makes mistakes, but she works hard on not letting them define here. There are two great stories written into one here – the issue with Maddy’s family, especially her sister Lulu, and Maddy’s career and love life, and how the two mix together. I was on the edge of my seat during many parts of this book, and I couldn’t wait to see how it ended. I don’t want to give the ending away, but I was really glad to see not everything worked out so smoothly with Jamie. Sometimes I come to expect stories that wrap up in a neat little bow, and we all know life doesn’t really work out that way. I loved this book, and give it 5 stars!
5 stars

February 4, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: SkinnyTinis by Teresa Marie Howes
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: SkinnyTinis by Teresa Marie Howes

I received a copy of SkinnyTinis by Teresa Marie Howes from CLP Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review.

SkinnyTinis is a cocktail recipe book with more than 70 recipes. For people watching their weight, this book is perfect because Teresa has gone through drink favorites and thinified them … and now they rake in around 142 calories each. The recipes still offer the same great taste as the traditional (and full calorie) alternatives, yet you won’t have the guilt that goes along with them.

Oh boy, I was so excited when I received my SkinnyTinis in the mail. Ironically, my mother-in-law was in town and I had just purchased a few bottles of alcohol, so I had some assistance in taste testing. By far my favorite was the Skinny Cosmopolitan (which is one of my go-to-drinks when out on the town) and I absolutely loved how quick and easy all of the recipes were. Now, I am not that big of a drinker so I have only tried a few, but so far, the ones that I have tried have been delicious and light. I also really enjoyed the great photographs that accompanied each recipe and I really loved that the book was so colorful. I have already recommended this book to a few gal pals and I will continue to do so. Thank you so much Teresa for doing the research and creating skinny solutions for my favorite mixed drinks. I love this book! A new bar staple!

Rating: 5 stars

January 31, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Becoming Mrs. Walsh by Jessica Gordon
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Becoming Mrs. Walsh by Jessica …

Jessica Gordon is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Becoming Mrs. Walsh. Ooh, this novel. I am getting married myself this September, so I could instantly relate with Shoshana Thompson. We are brides-to-be, we are close in age – but she is a tad different from me in that she is marrying into one of Washington D.C.’s wealthiest families. There is a lot of pressure on her in becoming a Walsh – the clothes, the makeup, the events, not to mention her grand wedding. While Shoshana believes she loves Andrew and he is the perfect man for her, she starts to get feelings for someone else…someone she definitely cannot have romantic feelings toward.
This book was so juicy, and the ending had me practically salivating. I loved the Walsh family, from the brothers to the sisters-in-law to the mom. Shoshana is relatable but also likeable – she’s someone about to take a big step and gets scared when her feelings about her impending marriage and husband seem off. If you’re a chick lit fan, you will be green with envy reading about some of the designer clothes and shoes the Walsh’s have and the trips they gallivant off to at a moment’s notice. And I found it fun that Shoshana is from Iowa and there are scenes with her family back in that state – I live in Iowa myself. Seriously, this book was right up my alley! But let’s get back to the ending – I was happily reading along, wondering what would happen and being on my toes, then coming to terms with Sho’s final decision and being happy for her when wham – there is definitely a sequel coming out and I can’t wait to read it! You must pick this one up!
5 stars

January 30, 2013
6 Comments
Book Review: The Green Ticket by Samantha March
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: The Green Ticket by Samantha March

I was provided with a copy of THE GREEN TICKET by Samantha March in exchange for an honest review.

The story begins with Alex Abrams, college junior, who lands her dream job as a manager at a successful salon and spa. She is very eager and excited to have a real adult job that entails scheduling, conference calls, handling employee conflicts and massages … but she might be in over her head as she slowly realizes that her boss, Kevin Dohlman, might be her worst nightmare. A few weeks in she discovers that he is not only difficult to work for, but he is also quite the ladies man at work – but, he happens to be married to the other manager of the spa. So, what’s a gal to do? She tries to ignore it and move on because she really wants to keep the job, but it only worsens. And on top of trying to manage her school work, her own relationship with her new hottie of a boyfriend, her friendships and her own life, things become complicated. Juggling everything becomes quite a task and it is only a matter of time until everything comes toppling down on her, but will she spill the beans about Kevin first in order to save herself and everything else that she cares about? Or is she willing to risk it all to keep her dream job?

Obviously, I was very excited when Samantha asked me to read/review her second novel … and I couldn’t have loved it more. Yes, this book is definitely directed toward a much younger audience (think college age), but even though I am far past that time in my life (yikes! I’m almost 30!), I was definitely able to relate and find myself thinking back to my time in college. Samantha does an amazing job at creating real conflict and believable characters and relationships. From the get go I knew that Kevin was bad news and I was glad that Alex was mature enough to realize it. I also loved Harry from the get go. He was so charming and sweet and I think Samantha did such a great job at constructing such a strong love interest. Overall, this book is very entertaining and engaging. It grabs you from the early chapters and pulls you in until the very end. This is a great second novel from Samantha and I can’t wait to see what book #3 brings! I recommend you get your hands on it quick!
Rating: 5 stars

January 25, 2013
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CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith
Chick Lit Review

CLP Blog Tours Book Review: Death Turns a Trick by …

Julie Smith is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Death Turns a Trick. Chick lit mysteries are right up there in my fave genres choices, and I’m not surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Rebecca Schwartz is our Jewish lawyer MC, who finds herself in the middle of a city scandal. This happens because A) she is playing piano at a whorehouse, B) The whorehouse is suddenly raided and she finds herself driving away the senator (half-naked) and C) because she finds a dead hooker in her living room. If that doesn’t sound like a juicy novel, I don’t know what does!
Death Turns a Trick was a seriously funny book, all while being mysterious and having romance thrown in between the pages. Smith does a fab job at building Rebecca’s character and also with her comedic timing, and I don’t normally classify something as a “hoot,” but I feel that is the only word suitable for this book – in a good way, of course! If you like chick lit and mysteries, this book needs to be on your list – or just get it on there anyway! A favorite of mine!
5 stars

January 21, 2013
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Book Review: Nobody’s Damsel by E.M. Tippetts
Chick Lit Review

Book Review: Nobody’s Damsel by E.M. Tippetts

I received a copy of Nobody’s Damsel by E.M. Tippetts in exchange for an honest review. I recently reviewed Someone Else’s Fairytale and really enjoyed the story, and I was looking forward to the follow-up on Chloe and Jason’s romance. I always hear that sequels aren’t supposed to be as good, but I thought this novel was even better than the first! It didn’t take me long at all to finish because I was so gripped by the tale and couldn’t put the book down until the end.
If you haven’t read the first book I really recommend it, because I want you to read Nobody’s Damsel and having the background information on Chloe and Jason will help immensely. The couple is now married, but Chloe is still having some difficulty adjusting to her role as wife of a Hollywood A-Lister. She doesn’t enjoy the paparazzi stalking her or the incessant rumors printed about her marriage, but she truly loves Jason and believes he loves her. Chloe has also taken on a job as a forensic scientist, something close to home for her after almost being murdered when she was younger.
The story weaves between Chloe’s work and the case that she is struggling on, and her home life and her struggles with the ever-present paparazzi and the undying rumor that Jason is cheating on her with his ex – and new costar. I was riveted from the never-ending action on the pages, and I found myself so entranced by the story that once while reading someone knocked on my door and I actually yelped. There is mystery, intrigue, romance, celebrity, scandal, death…all wrapped up in a truly impressive novel with a sweet cover. A favorite!
5 stars

January 18, 2013
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